Nick Carter Says Family Blamed Him For Sister Leslie’s Death

Nick Carter admitted that he didn’t go to his sister Leslie’s funeral because his family blamed him for her death.

Leslie Carter died on January 31, 2012 at the age of 25. The family blamed prescription medication for her death. Nick Carter, who was on tour at the time, said he wouldn’t cancel his shows for his sister’s death because it was his way of coping.

“Performing is cathartic to me and I am dedicating the rest of my tour to my sister since she loved to watch me perform,” the Backstreet Boys singer said. Carter had a show in Philadelphia the day of his sister’s funeral, and it was rumored that his family didn’t tell him the date.

“I wanted to be at my sister’s funeral, but my family has always had a complicated dynamic,” Carter said.

A year and a half later, Nick Carter told Dr. Phil why he didn’t go to his sister’s funeral.

“The reason I did not go… I started to get blamed by the rest of the family for her death,” he said. “It has been toxic. The communication is something I’m still trying to work on by going to therapy.”

The 33-year-old also said that he had no other option but to skip the funeral, even though he was heartbroken about the decision.

“Leslie and I had a very hard relationship our whole life. I wanted nothing but the best for my sister,” he said. “When it happened, I lay on my shower floor for hours, torn, because I wanted to go to her funeral so badly. It was really tough for me. There’s definitely a part of me that did blame myself.”

Nick Carter released his memoir, Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It, on September 17 of this year. The memoir focuses on his highs and lows while he was with the Backstreet Boys. It also talks about his own struggle with drugs and alcohol.

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